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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/eng-pulley-ma-supporting-cables

For an ideal pulley system, the mechanical advantage is roughly equal to what?

The number of cable segments pulling up on the load.

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  1. The number of cable segments supporting the load ✔
  2. The diameter of the largest pulley
  3. Always 2, no matter the setup

Why: If four cable segments hold up the load block, each carries a quarter of the weight, so you pull with about a quarter of the force. You also pull four times as much rope.

Huh, didn't know that: A single fixed pulley has an MA of 1: it only changes the direction of your pull.

The dad joke
I tried to lift a piano with one pulley. It was a strain, with no advantage.
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References

Answer: The number of cable segments supporting the load. If four cable segments hold up the load block, each carries a quarter of the weight, so you pull with about a quarter of the force. You also pull four times as much rope.

  1. OpenStax College Physics 2e: 9.5 Simple Machines openstax.org/books/college-physics-2e/pages/9-5-simple-machines
    is approximately the MA of the pulley system
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  2. OpenStax College Physics 2e: 9.5 Simple Machines openstax.org/books/college-physics-2e/pages/9-5-simple-machines
    a machine cannot do more work than the energy put into it
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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